Oabtridge shells



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.) u

A W. MASON.

DEVICE FOR yEEEDINGf CARTRIDGE SHELLS.

"ay 5,1885.AI

Nil HH afan/ (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

W. MASON. DEVICE EOE EEEDING GAETEIDGE SEELLS.

No. 317,396. Patented May 5, 1885.

N. PETERSy Phutumngnphw. Wnhingiun. D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

XVILLIAM MASON, OF NEV HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOE TO THE W'IN- CHESTER REPEATING ARMS COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

DEVICE FOR FEEDING CARTRIDGE-SHELLS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 317,396,dated May 5, 1885.

Application filed March D, 1885. (No model.)

To @ZZ wir/0111, t may concer/t.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM Mason, of New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improvement in Feeds for Cartridge-Making Machinery; and I do hereby declare the following,when taken in connection with accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specication, and represent, in-

Figure l, a front view of the hopper complete; Fig. 2, side view of the same; Fig. 3, transverse central section through the hopper Fig. 4, longitudinal section through the hopper; Fig. 5, transverse section through the door and bracket; Fig. 6, detached view showing the locking device to support the gate in its closed position; Fig. 7, modification showing the upper part of the hopper, in which Vthe series of cavities are made, as arranged to revolve while the remainder of the hopper is stationary.

This invention relates to a device for feeding cartridge-shells or other cupshaped articles to machinery for further operations, as in cartridges-such, for instance, as trimming, loading, or for any operation which may be required in the process of manufacture of cartridges or other articles of like shape-and to that cla-ss of feeding devices in which a hopper is employed to contain a mass of shells, and so that by rotation of some device within the hopper the shells will be successively taken and delivered in proper position to a tube, through which they pass to the machine for further operation. In such feeding devices the hopper has usually been stationary,with a carrying device revolving therein through the mass of shells, presenting pins or hooks to the mass, `and which, as they pass through the mass, will each take up a shell, and, carrying.

it up, present it to the mouth of a tube, into which the shell will fall from the pin or hook by its own gravity. .Vhile such a feeding devicel serves a very good purpose in the smaller classv of shells, in the larger class of shells a serious difficulty is experienced in injury to the shells by the passage of the carrying device through the mass.

The prime object of my invention is to overcome this difficulty and adapt a rotating feeding device to the carrying of the larger classes of shells; and it consists in a revolving hopper having a series of cavities in a plane at right angles to the axis upon which the hopper revolves, the said cavities each adapted to receive a shell, the inner surface of the hopper converging from the plane of said cavities, so that the mass of shells in the hopper will tend to the plane of said cavities, combined with a discharge-tube, to the mouth of which the said shells will be presented, and into which they will fall from the said cavities, and also in details of construction, as more fully hereinafter described.

A represents the hopper. It is arranged upon a fixed shaft, B, and so as to revolve thereon in a vertical plane. Around the inside of the hopper, in a plane at right angles to the axis, and, as here represented, in the central plane of the hopper, is a series of cavities, a. From these cavities the inner surface of the hopper is contracted toward its front and rear, and so as to incline toward the cen ter or line of cavitiesthat the shells in the hopper may tend to the center. The cavities a are each of a shape corresponding to the shape of a single shell or blank, b representing the blanks in the cavities. The shells are headed. The cavities open through the hopper, the heads serving as a stop to prevent the shell from passing entirely through the cavities, and as shown. The hopper A is caused to rotate, as here represented, by means of a gear, C, on the periphery of the hopper, into which a pinion, D, on the shaft E works, the said shaft receiving power through a shaft, F, as seen inFig. 2. Power, however, may be otherwise communicated to impart revolution to the hopper. At the back of the hopper is a stationary reservoir, G, into which a mass of cartridges may be dumped.

To supply the hopper from the reservoir G, an opening, H, leads tothe hopper. Between the reservoir and the hopper is a gate, I, hung upon a pivot,L, and so as to swing thereon in a plane parallel'with the plane of revolution of the hopper, but is adapted to be turned downward, as seen in broken lines, Fig. 3, to open communication from the reservoir to the hopper.

To conveniently turn the gate, it is provided with a handle, M, extending outward, as seen in Fig. 3, and is locked in its closed position by a spring-bolt, O. (See Figs. 2 and 6.)

Gates have heretofore been arranged between the reservoir and the hopper, but have been adapted 'to swing upward in opening, and so that to close them theymust pass down through the mass of shells.' Vhile such a swinging gate serves a good purpose in the smaller class of shells, with larger shells very many are unavoidably injured in the closing of the gate. To avoid this injury to the shells, I arrange the gate to swing downward from the mass'in opening, and so that-in closingit will pass upward through the shells; hence, as there is no substantial resistance by the shells in such upward movement of the gate, they fall back out of the way of the rising gate, whereas in the descending gate they would be caught between its edges and the bottom of the passage. By this arrangement of the gate, therefore, all liability to injury of the. shells in closing is avoided.

It will be understood that the gate does not extend so high as to fully close the opening, only sufficient to hold back the mass of shells which stand in the reservoir.

The operator opens the gate to admit only a small quantity into the hopper, and when so admitted it is again closed until the mass so admitted has been nearly taken up, then a fresh supply is permitted to flow into the hopper from the reservoir by opening the gate. As the shells fall into the cavities a, they are taken by the revolving hopper upward, and within the hopper a guard, N, is arranged, over which the shells pass, and upon which they come before they have been turned into such a position as to come Within the influence of their own gravity. They therefore ride upon the said guard, as indicated in Fig. 3, which prevents their falling from their respective cavities as they approach the extreme upper position.

At the end of the guard N is a chute, l?. So soon as the shells arrive at the end of the guard they fall from their cavities by their own gravity and pass through the chute, enter the delivery-tube R, through which they pass to the machine for further operation. The guard N is hung upon a pivot, d, which is formed on the end of a post, S, extending forward from the fixed back of the hopper, parallel with the axis of the hopper, and from below the pivot an arm, @,'extends downward and rests against a stud, f. The arm is held bearing against the stud f by means of a spring around the post S, as seen in Fig. 4, one end of which is fixed to the post and the other to the guard, the tendency of the spring being to force the lower arinfe, against the stud j', and so hold the guard the guard N up to its working position, but yetso that the guard will yield should the shell become displaced in its passage, or a shell be carried up between the series of cavities and the guard, and in so yielding will turn down, as indicated in broken lines, Fig. 3, permitting the obstruction to pass the guard without injury to the machine or to the shells. The chute I) is hinged to the end of the guard N, and is held up to its position by a spring, h, but so that it may yield to turn downward under extraordinary infinences, such as a clogging of the cartridges, but when relieved from such infiuence the spring will return to its working position. The hopper is constructed with its front open, but provided with a door, by which it may be closed.

.To support the door independent of the hopper, and so that it will not revolve with the hopper,a bracket, T, is fixed to the'outer end of the shaft B,and extends to one sidebut outside the front of the hopper. To this bracket the door U is hinged bya pintleyi, extending through corresponding ears, Z, on thedoor and m on the bracket. The door is of a shape corresponding to the opening in the front of the hopper, as seen in Fig. 1, and is constructed with panels,which are filled with glass, so that the interior of the hopper is exposed for the convenience of the attendant. The door is secured by a spring-latch, a, hung to the door, its nose arranged to engage the bracket, as seen in Fig. 5. The cavities are not of necessity rnade to open entirely through the hopper; but it is desirable so to do, inorder that any foreign substance which might fall therein may escape and not interfere with the entrance of the shells.

I have represented the series of cavities constructed as a part of the hopper, and so that the hopper necessarily revolves, in order to revolve the cavities; but the construction may be so that the hopper will remain stationary while the cavities ,revolve beneath the mass of shells therein. This may be done as seen in Fig. 7, the central part in which the cavities are formed made separate from the hopper,but so as to revolve thereon, the gear being applied to the periphery of the central portion in `which the cavities are formed instead of to the hopper, as first described. I therefore do not wish to be understood as limiting this part of my invention to the revolution of the entire hopper, as the essential feature is the revolving series of cavities, so as to pass beneath the mass of shells, the cavities to receive the shells from the mass and transfer them to the delivery-tube.

The gate hung between the reservoir and hopper may be employed in hoppers for like purposes in which other devices are employed for carrying the shells to the delivery-tubesuch, for illustration, as in the patent granted to inc February 6, 1883, No. 271,836.

IOO

IIO

Vhilel prefer to make the cavities in the central plane of the hopper with the surface inolining toward that central plane from both directions, the line of cavities may be at any other point in the length of the hopper, it only being essential that in their revolution the cavities shall pass below the mass of shells.

I claiml. In a feeding device forcartridge-shells and like articles,the combination of a hopper of circular shape and supported upon an axis, a portion of said hopper constructed with a series of cavities lin a plane at right angles to the axis of the hopper, said cavities each adapted to receive one of the shells which the hopper may contain,V said cavity portion arranged to revolve and cause the cavities to successively pass beneath the cartridges in the hopper, a guard over which saidcavities will pass as they approach the highest point in their revolution, and a delivery-tube into which the shells will successively fall as they pass from said guard, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a hopperof circular form hung upon an axis and adapted to be revolved thereon, the said hopper constructed with a series of cavities each adapted to receive a cartridge-shell, said cavities being in aplane at' right angles Vto the axis on which the hopper revolves, theinner surface of said hopper inclined` toward the said series of cavities, a guard over which .the said cavities will pass in the revolution of thehopper, and a delivery-tube intoV which the shells will respectively fall as they pass from said guard, substantially as described.

3. The combination of a hopper of circular :l'orm adapted to contain a mass of cartridgeshells, a delivery-tube leading from said hopper, said hopper adapted to present shells successively to said delivery-tube, a reservoir opening into said hopper, with a gate between said reservoir and hopper hung to swing downward in opening andupward in closing, substantially as described.- l

4. The combination of the hopper A, of circular form, hung upon an axis so as to be revolved thereon, and constructed with a series of cavities, a, Ain a plane at right angles to said axis, the inner surface of the hopper inclining toward saidV cavities, a guard, N, over which said cavities pass, and a delivery-tube R, substantially as described.

5. rlhe combination of the hopper A, of circular form, hung upon an axis and adapted to be revolved thereon, said hopper constructed with a series of cavities, a, in a plane at right angles to the axis of the hopper, the inner surface of the hopper inclined toward said cavities, a guard, N, over which said cavities will pass, and a delivery-tube opening beyond said guard, a reservoir opening into said hop- Y per with a gate, I, between said hopper, and reservoir, hung to swing in a plane at right angles to the axis of the hopper, and adapted to swing `downward in opening and upward in closing, substantially as described. y (i. The combination of the hopper A, hung upon an axis and adapted to be revolved thereon, constructed with a series of cavities, a, in a plane at right angles to said axis, a guard, N, hung upon a pivot, d,a spring arranged to support said guard, and a delivery-tube near thefree end of said guard, substantially as described. Y

7. The combination of the hopper A, hung upon an axis and adapted` to be revolved thereon, constructed with aseries of cavities,

a, in a plane at right vangles to said axis, a guard, N, hung upon a pivot, el, a spring arranged to support said guard, a chute, P, hinged to the free end of said guard, and a delivery-tube the mouth of which opens from vsaid chute, substantially as described.

8. The combination of a hopper` circulaiin shape and arranged upon a fixed axis,and so as to revolve thereon, the front of the hopper open, a bracket attached to said fixed axis,

kand a door hung to said bracket independent 

